Downloading League of Legends on EU West (EUW) takes about five minutes and is completely free. You visit the official Riot Games website, choose the EU West region before you download, run the small installer, and the client handles everything else. This guide walks you through each step clearly so you end up on the correct European server from the very start.
What you need before you start
Before downloading, make sure you have the following:
- A Windows 10/11 or macOS 12 (or newer) PC with at least 16 GB of free disk space.
- A stable internet connection — the installer is small, but the client will then download several gigabytes of game data.
- A Riot Games account. If you don't have one yet, you can create it for free during step 5.
EU West (EUW) is the main European server, covering Western and Central Europe. If you are based in Scandinavia or Eastern Europe you may prefer EUNE (EU Nordic & East), but most European players choose EUW for the larger player pool.
How to download League of Legends on EU West
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Step 1: Visit the official League of Legends website
Open your browser and go to leagueoflegends.com — Riot Games' official site. Click the Play Now or Play for Free button on the homepage. Never download the client from a third-party site, as those files could be outdated or unsafe.
Go to leagueoflegends.com and click the Play Now button to begin the download process. -
Step 2: Select EU West as your region
After clicking Play Now, you will be prompted to select your region. Choose EUW — EU West from the list. This determines which server your account is linked to and affects ping and matchmaking. Picking the wrong region here means you would need to create a separate account to switch later, so take a moment to confirm EUW is correct for you.
Select EUW — EU West from the region picker before downloading the installer. -
Step 3: Download the installer
Once you have selected EU West, the site will offer a download button for the League of Legends installer (a small .exe file on Windows or .dmg on Mac, roughly 10 MB). Click it and save the file to a location you can find easily, such as your Downloads folder. The installer itself downloads quickly; the main game files are fetched automatically once you run it.
Save the small installer file to your Downloads folder — the full client installs itself afterward. -
Step 4: Run the installer and let it complete
Double-click the installer file you just downloaded. On Windows, you may see a User Account Control prompt asking for permission — click Yes to continue. The setup wizard will install the Riot Client and then automatically download the full League of Legends game files. The total download can be several gigabytes, so this stage can take anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour depending on your connection speed. Do not close the installer window while it is working.
Let the installer finish completely — it downloads all game patches automatically. -
Step 5: Launch, log in, and start playing on EU West
When the installation is done, the Riot Client will launch automatically. Log in with your Riot Games account — if you don't have one, click the Create Account link. After logging in, the client will confirm you are on EU West (EUW). You can verify or switch the server using the region indicator in the top-right corner of the client. Once confirmed, click Play and choose a game mode to enter matchmaking.
Log in with your Riot account — the EU West (EUW) region indicator confirms you are on the correct server.
Helpful tips
- Check your region before creating your account. Your Riot account is tied to the region you sign up on. Switching regions later requires purchasing a region transfer or creating a new account.
- Keep the installer running in the background. You can continue using your PC while the game downloads — just don't close the Riot Client window.
- EU West vs. EUNE. EUW gives you access to the largest European player base and generally shorter queue times. Players in Scandinavia or Eastern Europe sometimes prefer EUNE, but either server is playable from anywhere in Europe.
- Firewall or antivirus blocking the install? Temporarily add the Riot installer to your antivirus exclusions if the download stalls. Riot Client communicates on ports 8080 and 443.
- League of Legends is free to play. You will never need to pay to download or access all game modes. In-game purchases are cosmetic only.
Troubleshooting
The installer download is very slow or stuck
Try pausing and resuming inside the Riot Client. If it stays stuck, close the client, restart your router, and relaunch. You can also try connecting over an Ethernet cable rather than Wi-Fi for a more stable connection during the large game-file download.
The installer gives an error on Windows
Right-click the installer file and choose Run as administrator. Also make sure Windows Defender or your antivirus is not quarantining the file. If the drive runs out of space the installer will also fail — confirm you have at least 16 GB free.
I accidentally chose the wrong region
If you picked the wrong server and have not created an account yet, simply download the installer again and select EU West. If you already have an account on another region, you can purchase a region transfer from the Riot store, or create a fresh account on EUW.
The Riot Client shows a different region after logging in
Click your profile or the region name in the top-right corner of the Riot Client and select EU West (EUW) from the drop-down menu.
Frequently asked questions
Is League of Legends free to download on EU West?
Yes, League of Legends is completely free to download and play. There is no purchase required to access the full game. Cosmetic items such as skins can be bought optionally but are not needed to play.
How much space does League of Legends take on PC?
The full installation requires approximately 16 GB of disk space, though this grows over time as Riot adds new content and patches. Make sure you have at least 20 GB free to give the client room to update.
Can I play League of Legends EU West from outside Europe?
Yes, you can log into your EUW account from anywhere in the world, though your ping (latency) will be higher if you are physically far from the European data centers. For the best experience, players should ideally use the server closest to their location.
Does League of Legends work on Mac?
Yes. Download the macOS installer from the official site and follow the same region-selection steps. League of Legends supports macOS 12 (Monterey) and later, and runs on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.
How long does the full EU West installation take?
The small installer downloads in under a minute. The full game client, however, can take anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours depending on your internet speed, as the game files are several gigabytes in size.
Get into the game
Downloading League of Legends on EU West is straightforward once you know where to go. Head to the official site, pick EUW during the download prompt, let the installer do its work, and you will be in your first match within the hour. League of Legends is one of the most-played PC games in the world, and the EU West server gives European players the largest local player pool to match against. Good luck on the Rift.
